The Final Preparations Begin

Well I mixed up my first batch of Christmas cookies last night and mixed up another batch today.  I am hoping to mix up at least one more batch today and start baking them as well.  Other stuff I have to do is: 

• I want to take a family picture with our camera and send out Christmas/Epiphany cards since I"ve decided not to worry about getting them out before Christmas. 
• Wrap presents
• Download some mp3's on the mp3 player my son will be getting for Christmas
• Get a Christmas menu together and go shopping
• Get a Christmas tree (that's my husband's job)
• Get our nativity set out
• Present for my sister and her guy?
• Order the chocolate mousse cake we get every year

I think we'll be fine on spending as long as we don't put anything else on our credit card and use the money we have left in our checking.  (I posted about my concerns regarding Christmas spending  yesterday.)
I'm feeling much better about things now and am looking forward to the final preparations.

Oh yeah!  And I'm really happy about the fact that my formerly SLOW, SLOW, SLOW computer is working again.  It was finally decided more memory needed to be put in.  Hooray!  It works like a dream.

Christmas Spending Guilt

It's December 20th.  I don't have a Christmas tree up, or cookies made, or have a menu planned for Christmas dinner  but I have spent more money on presents than I should have.  Part of the reason is that my husband and I decided that we would splurge on presents for each other.  Questions go through my mind wondering if we're being too materialistic, going after the latest electronic gadgets (something that we rarely do).  We are basically spending some "extra" bonus moneymoney that I tell myself we could be putting toward things like savings or fixing the million little things around the house, or help to pay off debt.  We are taking a break from being thrifty and treating ourselves to some fun things, things that maybe even will prove practical in some ways and--sometimes I feel awfully guilty about it. 

It's Advent and I'm Trying not to Stress

Every year personal and spiritual growth during Advent means letting go of preconceived ideas for a perfect Christmas.  This seems especially true for me this year.  My husband is winding down his months of working mandatory overtime and I have been playing in the symphony for a rehearsal or a concert every Sunday this Advent except for the last one.  So it seems there is even less time to "get it all done" than in previous years and it has been very difficult to get day to day tasks done around the house: laundry, cleaning, having supper on the table every night and it seems like a lot to think about getting ready for Christmas on top of all this.

Given the fact that it's so easy to feel overwhelmed, I'm really trying to let God guide me toward what he thinks is important for me to do realizing that we are his children and it should really be up to him to decide what kind of Christmas we have.  This means focusing on love. My focus should be on finding ways to better love God and my family.  If I focus on love and what is truly important than I think I may be less likely to feel anxious and overwhelmed which causes me to not be very loving. 

This may mean playing with my children instead of focusing so much on housework or just trying to keep my cool during tantrums and--what I find the most stressful part of the day--getting supper on the table.  I will need help from Jesus and Mary, of course.  It's difficult to not want to blame your husband for the house being a mess or the fact that  you haven't had time to do any planning for Christmas.  This is when it is important to trust God.  Don't sweat it.  Do your little part and it will all turn out o.k. even if it is not exactly what you wanted.

Practically speaking it helps to have manageable, realistic goals for each day with something I want to accomplish in the various categories of housework, child rearing, prayer, and Christmas planning as this helps to stay focused and I feel better when you know what you want to do and then accomplish at least some of it.

I think that working toward the material things that help in celebrating Christmas such as good food, special treats, presents can also help to prepare us spiritually for Christmas if we do it with a spirit of love and joy keeping in mind the celebration that we are fortunate enough to share with our family and the reason we are celebrating.  It's a matter of balance which begins with trusting God and keeping anxiety at bay.

Any suggestions about keeping things in perspective are appreciated.

St. Andrew's Love of Jesus

"He first found his brother Simon, and said to him, 'We have found the Messiah.'" 


Today is Andrew's feast day as well as my husband's namesake day.  I went to mass today and was particularly moved by what our pastor said about St. Andrew.  We know how Andrew's brother Peter was crucified upside down because he deemed himself unworthy to be crucufied as our savior was crucified.  Andrew too felt unworthy to be crucifed as our Lord was and my pastor implied that he felt unworthy to be crucified even as his brother Peter was.  Therefore his cross was in the shape of an "X".  He also was not nailed to his cross but bound as is shown in the above picture to prolong his agony and he was actually preaching while hanging from the cross. 

Sadly it is difficult to imagine this kind of love for Jesus or zeal for the Glory of God.  "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."--Matthew 19:26  This reminds me of how weak I am  and how much I need to thank God and ask him to strengthen me. 

Christmas Anticipation Prayer

St. Andrew's Day is the beginning of the Christmas Anticipation Prayer.  Starting on St. Andrew's Day the following prayer is said fifteen times every day until Christmas:

Hail and blessed be the hour and moment in which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary at midnight, in Bethlehem, in the piercing cold.  In that hour vouchsafe, I beseech thee, O my God, to hear my prayer and grant my desires, (here metion your request) through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ, and of his blessed Mother. Amen

Enthroning the Sacred Heart on Christ the King

In our parish there is a home enthronement "program" sponsored by our parish Knights of Columbus in which we were given packets that included images of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the prayers of enthronement and consecration.  We were encouraged to do the enthronement in our homes yesterday on the Solemnity of Christ the King as we would be making Jesus the King of our homes and our hearts. At mass there was a blessing of the pictures and afterwards a eucharistic procession (in the church instead of outside since it was raining). 

In our family we have talked about enthroning the Sacred Heart before, but the information I had found on line always made it seem so complicated.  In contrast, the information and prayers included in the packet were very simple; and the images are beautiful reminders of the presence of Jesus and Mary in our lives making our home seem more like a church.

I believe we were encouraged to do this as a form of spiritual warfare against the evils in our world today and especially the prominant hatred that seems to be developing against Christians.  Our diocese is also looking to plan for big changes in the future to deal with the anticipated shortage of pieists in a few years and I believe that the pastor of our parish, along with others, is encouraging a spiritual emphasis in dealing with this by bringing back forgotten devotions.  What a blessing!
Here is the beautiful enthronement prayer that was included:

CELEBRANT OR LEADER

Almighty and Everlasting God, bless and sanctify this Image of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Grant that whoever humbly strives to honor and serve Him, may obtain through His merits and intercession, grace in this life and everlasting happiness in the world to come. Let us Pray.

ALL

Eternal Father, we consecrate ourselves, all living and deceased members of our family, and our home, to the Sacred Heart of Your Son Jesus. May we return His most tender love, as He comes into the midst of our family to live and share our life in a special way from this day on.


We accept you, Sacred Heart of Jesus, as our loving King and Head of our family. Stay with us, Lord! Sanctify our joys and comfort us in all our sorrows. May your Holy Spirit enlighten each of us to continually be aware of Your special Presence among us, especially in one another. Help us to have a deep and loving respect for one another, so that we may live this Consecration everyday.


Let our love go beyond our home into the world. Guide us to do our part to win other families to Your Sacred Heart. Create through us a real community among the priests and families of our parish and of the whole world.


Amen.

Here is the web site for more information:

http://www.enthronement.org/

I've been dealing with my husband working late hours and I have to say it's been difficult.  I am trying to accept God's will in all of this and I know that God is making me stronger. There is so much I have/want to do and now even less time to do it.  Last night I had a bit of a meltdown in that my sister's "significant other's" mother is dying at the age of 86 after being in a car accident.  I told my husband that we should say a Chaplet of Divine Mercy later. 

Lo and behold, later that night, after the kids were in bed and I felt that I might finally get some time on the computer reading blogs or writing on mine, he asked me if I wanted to say the Chaplet.  I had completely forgotten about it but was planning on saying it when I went to bed.  I was so upset that he asked me at that time when I was finally able to get some time for myself.  I knew it was the right thing to do and I knew that saying yes to my husband would be saying yes to God; but I didn't.  I went upstairs to our room and struggled with the situation thinking that if I had some time alone I would be able to get over myself and do the right thing. 

My husband came up and offered to bring the computer up to our room so I could work on it.  He was missing the point.  I was frustrated because I knew that the right thing to do was to pray the chaplet with him but I was so upset at that moment at myself for being torn between saying it and taking time for myself.   I told my husband that he didn't have to try to solve the problem.  He left to do other things and I was left sad and started to say the chaplet on my own but longed to have my husband by my side saying it with me.  So I said the chaplet, but not with the peace in my heart that I could have had if I had done it God's way.

I failed to trust in God enough to put him first.  I know in reality he gives me all the time I need for everything he wants me to do but I didn't believe it last night.  Lord help me to do better next time. 

Pray for Clem, a good Christian Pentecostal woman who always showed an interest in others and was a joy to be around. 

Pray that the hearts of my sister and her boyfriend may be converted as they don't believe in God.

Mom with a Bike

I have always admired and envied those who rely on their bike as a primary form of transportation.    Little by little I have been trying to make more use of my bicycle.  First I took short 5 or 10 minute rides with the kids in the trailer I got at a rummage sale for only $10.  My three-year-old adapted well to riding in the bike trailer but my little one-year-old would start crying after five minutes.  He tends to schulump down and his helmet falls over his eyes. 

Although I am still working on ways to make him more comfortable, after a few times going on these short rides he got used to it so we started going on longer 30 minute rides and then finally we rode to the library, the park, city hall (about 30 to forty minutes round trip) for errands and playing.  We have only been doing this a few weeks but I am hoping to keep it up as long as the weather allows.  It's surprising how warm you can stay riding a bicycle in cooler weather with just a few layers and something on your hands and ears.  The kids in the bike trailer also stay very warm with the plastic rain shield over the top. 

I think fall must be the ideal time to ride a bicycle as it is not so hot and the scenery is beautiful.  It seems that everything looks more beautiful when riding a bicycle.